Learning by Research

Organised for the first time in 2024, the Open Science Thesis Award aims to encourage and highlight open science practices among PhD students. The award recognises theses in which open science practices have contributed to the quality of the scientific work.

Part of the 2nd National Plan for Open Science, the Open Science Thesis Award complements the Open Science Awards established in 2022 for research data and free research software.

This year, eight winners were recognised in four thematic categories, including Layan Fessler, a young UGA doctor who graduated in 2024.

Layan Fessler defended his thesis entitled ‘Promoting physical activity among people with chronic diseases: the role of affective mechanisms’ in December 2024. Layan's doctoral work explores the role of affective mechanisms (emotions and pleasure) in promoting physical activity (PA) among people with chronic diseases. Through several studies, the thesis demonstrates that while the pleasure experienced during exercise is positively linked to patient adherence, this relationship is complex and influenced by factors such as self-confidence.

Using a robust, multidisciplinary methodology combining systematic reviews and innovative experimental protocols, including a triple-blind randomised controlled trial, Layan explores the influence of affective variables (hedonic responses, affective attitudes) on behavioural engagement, thereby complementing traditional socio-cognitive models.

The use of cutting-edge technologies, such as virtual reality, and specific tools — such as music or reducing the intensity at the end of a session — can improve patients' psychological attitude, but it remains difficult to achieve a concrete increase in their daily activity.

Layan's research highlights the importance of emotional experience in care and includes a critical analysis of methodological biases, such as the influence of confounding variables (BMI, sense of self-efficacy) and barriers to adherence to clinical protocols.

This thesis provides a rigorous framework for future research in health psychology.

The jury for the Open Science Thesis Award

• Raphaël Porcher, jury chair | president of the Réseau National de Collèges Doctoraux (RNCD, France PhD) and university professor | Université Paris Cité - Institut d'Intelligence Artificielle PR[AI]RIE
• Laura Bernardi, university professor | Université de Lausanne
• Thierry Billard, CNRS research director | Université de Lyon 1
• Nicolas Chaillet, Inspector General of Education, Sport and Research | IGESR
• Paola Cinnella, university professor | Sorbonne Université
• Hélène Delacour, university professor | Université de Lorraine
• Simon Dumas Primbault, CNRS Researcher | Coordinator of OpenEdition Lab | Associate Researcher at BnF
• Yohann Foucher, university professor, Hospital Practitioner | Université de Poitiers
• Mariannig Le Bechec, university professor | Université de Lorraine
• Valérie Legué, university professor | Université Clermont Auvergne Université Clermont Auvergne
• Aliyah Morgenstern, university professor | Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
• Serge Pinto, CNRS research director | Aix-Marseille Université
• Sabine Schmidt, CNRS research director | Université de Bordeaux
• Nicolas Torquet, CNRS research engineer | Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire - ICS
• Isis Truck, university professor | Paris 8 Vincennes - Saint-Denis

The Open Science Awards ceremony took place on 1st December 2025 at Paris-Saclay University, during the National Research Data Conference (Andor 2025).